Packaging container for scoopable contents

ABSTRACT

A packaging container for scoopable bulk solids comprising a container body includes a container wall extending from a container bottom edge to a container body opening in a height direction of the container, and a closure arrangement including a lid. The container wall has an inner surface facing towards an inner compartment in the packaging container and an outer surface facing away from the inner compartment. The container body has an opening edge at the container body opening. A combined scraper bar and scoop holder is arranged at the container body opening and extends across a bent portion of the container wall between a first container wall portion and a second container wall portion, the combined scraper bar and scoop holder including a scraping edge and a first scoop fastening element for repeated fastening and releasing of a scoop.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention pertains to a packaging container for scoopable contents,the packaging container comprising a container body comprising acontainer wall extending from a container bottom edge to a containerbody opening in a height direction of the container, and a closurearrangement comprising a lid. The packaging container has an innercompartment for the scoopable contents and an access-opening foraccessing scoopable contents contained in a compartment in the containerbody.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the area of packaging of consumer goods, and in particular whenpackaging dry flowable pulverulent consumer goods it is common to userigid paperboard packaging containers which serve as protectivetransport and storage containers at the retail end and as storage anddispensing containers at the consumer end. Such paperboard containersare usually provided with an openable and closable lid, and with aninner removable or breakable barrier membrane which keeps the contentsfresh and protected against contamination up until delivery of thepackaging container to a consumer. It is also important that thecontents in the packaging container are protected from contaminationonce the inner barrier has been destroyed in order to gain a firstaccess to the packaged goods. It is a concern that the packagingcontainer allows repeated and hygienic removal of packaged goods fromthe packaging container, in particular when the packaged goods isintended for ingestion by humans or animals. A packaging container forbulk solids usually contains more of the packaged product than will beused at each dispensing occasion. Thus, it is desirable that the productremaining in the packaging container remains fresh and un-contaminatedat least for a time period corresponding to the time it is expected itwill take for a consumer to use up all the contents in the packagingcontainer.

When using a scoop to take out contents from a packaging container, itis desired that excess scooped-up pulverulent material can beconveniently removed by being scraped off from the scoop and allowed tofall back into the packaging container without touching the pulverulentmaterial. In this manner, a controlled amount of the pulverulentmaterial can be taken out of the container with each scooping and therisk of spilling pulverulent material from an over-filled scoop isreduced or even eliminated. Furthermore, users may find it moreappealing and hygienic to be able to take the scoop out of the containerwithout having to dig it out from the remaining contents in thepackaging container. It is therefore also desirable that the packagingcontainer is provided with means for conveniently and hygienicallyholding the scoop inside the packaging container between dispensingoccasions. It has been suggested to provide attachment members on theinner surface of the container lid. However, it has been found thatusers find attachments in a swinging lid difficult to manipulate with asingle hand with the result that the attachments tend to be less usedthan would be desired for hygienic reasons. For this reason it has beensuggested to provide a packaging container with a ring-shapedscoop-holder placed on an inwardly directed surface of an edge rim, asdisclosed in WO 2014/129887 A1. However, all such features which extendinto the container opening effectively reduce the size of the containeraccess opening, i.e. the part of the container opening which isavailable for accessing the packaged goods. Furthermore, rounded andirregularly shaped features which protrude into the container opening,such as the scoop-holder in WO 2014/129887 A1 increases the risk thatthe feature will come into contact with the hand of a person taking outcontents from the packaging container and becomes contaminated. Anotherrisk is that the scoop accidentally catches on the scoop-holderresulting in that scooped-up material is spilled or that the scoop isdropped into the contents in the packaging container.

WO2006125363 A1 discloses a can box with built-in using tools in the canbody, wherein the can body is provided with a support for a knife, forkor spoon at a portion of the can mouth inner edge. A tool handle or toolhead can be inserted beneath a securing strip on the support and be heldin place at the can opening. The support has a triangular shape and isarranged with a corner of the triangle protruding into the can openingand has two edges which can be used as a scraping means for scraping offexcess material.

Like the scoop-holder in WO 2014/129887, the tool support inWO2006125363 A1 has the drawback that it considerably reduces the sizeof the access opening of the can.

Moreover, removal and attachment of a tool handle in the tool support inWO2006125363 A1 can generally not be made without touching or evengripping a tool part such as a scoop head at the opposite end of thetool handle.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to offer a packagingcontainer having improved capability of protecting dry bulk solids inthe paperboard packaging container from contamination. A further objectof the invention may be to facilitate hygienic removal of packaged goodsfrom the packaging container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is offered a paperboard packagingcontainer for scoopable bulk solids, in accordance with claim 1, whichpackaging container offers a more hygienic and easier access toscoopable bulk solids packaged in the packaging container. Furtherembodiments are set out in the dependent claims.

The packaging container comprises a container body comprising acontainer wall extending from a container bottom edge to a containerbody opening in a height direction of the container and comprising aclosure arrangement comprising a lid. The container wall has an innersurface facing towards an inner compartment in the packaging containerand an outer surface facing away from the inner compartment. Thecontainer body has an opening edge at the container body opening and thecontainer wall comprises a bent wall portion. The packaging containerfurther comprises a scoop comprising a scoop handle and a bowl portion,the scoop handle having a proximal end at the bowl portion and a distalend remote from the bowl portion. A combined scraper bar and scoopholder is arranged at the container body opening and extends across thebent wall portion. The combined scraper bar and scoop holder comprises ascraping edge bridging the bent wall portion and preferably being astraight edge, and a scoop fastening element for repeated fastening andreleasing of the scoop. A second scoop fastening element is arranged atthe distal end of the scoop handle and is arranged to connect with thefirst scoop fastening element on the combined scraper bar and scoopholder. The scoop is held in the combined scraper bar and scoop holderwith the scoop handle inclined such that the bowl portion of said scoopis directed downward into the container when the second scoop fasteningelement at the distal end of the scoop handle is connected to the firstscoop fastening element on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder.

The packaging container as disclosed herein may have any suitablefoot-print shape, such as circular, oval, triangular, square,rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, etc. A packagingcontainer having a polygonal foot-print, the container body may havecurved corner portions instead of being formed with sharp corners. Theonly requirement of the container body shape is that the container bodyfoot-print includes a bent section, e.g. a corner portion or a curvedwall portion which is bridged by the combined scraper bar and scoopholder. Accordingly, the combined scraper bar and scoop holder isarranged horizontally or generally horizontally across the bent wallportion at the periphery of the container body opening.

As set out herein, the bent wall portion may be a container wall cornerportion which connects a first container wall portion with a secondcontainer wall portion of a packaging container having a polygonalfoot-print or may be a curved segment of a wall in a packaging containerhaving a container body with a circular or oval foot-print or a modifiedrectangular container body with rounded corners.

By combining the holding function with a scraper function in a singleelement, the combined scraper bar and scoop holder intrudes minimally onthe open area of the container opening, and provides the packagingcontainer with a large access opening with a minimum of irregularitiesand inwardly protruding parts which may obstruct the access opening andmake it difficult to safely and hygienically remove contents from thepackaging container. Accordingly, even if provided with the combinedscraper bar and scoop holder as disclosed herein, the packagingcontainer has a large access opening with a regular contour withoutprotruding features which greatly facilitates removal of the contentsfrom the packaging container either by scooping or by pouring. Thescraping function is provided by a single scraping edge which bridgesthe bent wall portion whereby the combined scraper bar and scoop holderintrudes minimally on the access opening of the packaging container.

It is generally desired to minimize the presence of irregularities suchas ridges and protrusion on the inner surface of the packaging containerin the vicinity of the container opening as pulverulent contents in thecontainer may get caught on such irregularities. A user opening thepackaging container and seeing an upper portion of the container whichis soiled by the pulverulent material in the container, will perceivethe packaging container as being messy and less hygienic than desired.Furthermore, it is generally desired to keep the packaged pulverulentmaterial away from the access opening where it is more exposed tocontamination as it may more easily come into contact with the hands ofa person opening the packaging container and removing contents throughthe access opening. Contaminated contents in the packaging containerwhich are caught on features at the access opening may fall back intothe container and may, in turn, contaminate the remaining contents inthe container.

As the scoop holder provides means for safely holding a scoop such thatit is prohibited from falling down into the contents of the packagingcontainer, a user opening the container can easily find the scoop andremove it from the scoop holder when wishing to use it for takingcontents out of the packaging container.

The packaging container may be cuboid, having a rectangular or generallyrectangular foot-print with a container wall having front wall portion,a rear wall portion and two side wall portions. In a cuboid packagingcontainer having a lid which is hingedly connected to the rear wallportion, the container wall corner portion across which the combinedscraper bar and scoop holder extends may be a corner portion whichconnects the front wall portion with one of the side wall portions.

Accordingly, in a packaging container provided with a lid which isattached with a hinge at a rear edge of the access opening, it may bepreferred that the combined scoop holder and scraper bar is placedacross a forward corner portion of the packaging container where it iseasily accessible both for removing the scoop from the scoop holder andfor scraping off excess scooped-up contents. The scoop may be placed inthe scoop holder with the opening in the bowl portion facing thecontents in the packaging container, or with the opening in the bowlportion facing away from the contents in the packaging container. Ascoop which is held in a combined scoop holder and scraper bar arrangedat the front left corner, and with the opening in the bowl portionfacing downward can easily be removed by a right-handed user and bedirectly used to scoop up contents without the user having to shift thegrip on the scoop. A scoop which is held in a combined scoop holder andscraper bar arranged at the front right corner, and with the opening inthe bowl portion facing downward can easily be removed by a left-handeduser and be directly used to scoop up contents without the user havingto shift the grip on the scoop. If the scoop is placed with the openingin the bowl portion facing upward, a combined scoop holder and scraperbar is most convenient to use if arranged in the right front corner fora right-handed user and in the left front corner for a left-handed user.

The terms “left” and “right” when applied to the front corner portionsof the packaging container refer to the left and right of a user havingthe packaging container placed in front of him or her with the frontside of the packaging container facing the user.

The packaging container may be provided with a combined scoop holder andscraper bar in each corner portion of the access opening in order toaccommodate both left-handed users and right-handed users. Thisembodiment may be less preferred as it diminishes the size of theaccess-opening.

The combined scraper bar and scoop holder may be provided as a separatepart which can be attached by a user at any one of at least twoselectable locations at the access opening of the packaging container.The combined scraper bar and scoop holder is then preferably providedwith snap-in locking means which cooperate with corresponding snap-inlocking means on the packaging container, e.g. on an upper reinforcingrim allowing the combined scraper bar and scoop holder to be attached bysnapping it in place at the desired location and/or to detach an alreadyattached combined scraper bar and scoop holder and move it to anotherlocation.

The first scoop fastening element may be a female fastening element,such as an opening or a depression which is arranged to cooperate with acorresponding male fastening element such as a hook or a protrusionwhich is arranged on a scoop.

Alternatively, the first scoop fastening element may be a male fasteningelement, such as a hook or a protrusion which is arranged to cooperatewith a corresponding female fastening element such as an opening or adepression which is arranged on a scoop.

The packaging container as disclosed herein comprises a scoop comprisinga scoop handle and a bowl portion, the scoop handle having a proximalend at the bowl portion and a distal end remote from the bowl portion. Asecond scoop fastening element is arranged at the distal end of thescoop handle, and is arranged to connect with the first scoop fasteningelement on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder. The first andsecond fastening elements are mating fastening elements which means thatwhen the first scoop fastening element on the combined scraper bar andscoop holder is a female fastening element, the second fastening elementon the scoop handle is a male fastening element and when the first scoopfastening element on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder is a malefastening element, the second fastening element on the scoop handle is afemale fastening element.

It may be preferred that the first scoop fastening element is an openingand that the second scoop fastening element is a hook. The opening maybe formed between a cross-bar extending across the bent wall portion andthe bent wall portion, or may be formed as a hole in a piece of materialapplied across the bent wall portion. A scoop with a hook at the end ofthe handle can be easily attached to or removed from the combinedscraper bar and scoop holder without needing to overcome an attachmentforce.

By arranging the second fastening element at the end of the scoophandle, it is ascertained that the scoop is held in the scoop holderwith the scoop part directed downward in the packaging container andwith the scoop handle directed towards the container opening. Thereby, auser can easily lift the scoop out of the scoop holder without having totouch other parts of the scoop than the scoop handle. In particular, thescoop can be taken out of the packaging container without the usertouching the bowl part of the scoop which is the part that will bedipped into the scoopable contents when taking out contents from thecontainer. Accordingly, the risk of contamination of the contents isconsiderably lowered by ascertaining that the scoop handle is kept awayfrom the contents in the container compartment. Depending on the degreeof filling of the packaging container, when the scoop is held in thescoop holder the bowl part may hang freely downward in the container ormay rest on the surface of the pulverulent material in the containercompartment. Hence, when using the provided scoop holder, no part of thescoop which is handled by a user comes into contact with the contents inthe packaging container and the scoop is held in the packaging containerin a hygienic and readily accessible way.

The provision of readily identifiable mating fastener elements on thescoop handle and on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder serves todirect a user to apply the scoop in a correct fashion in the combinedscraper bar and scoop holder, with the mating fastener elementsconnected with each other and with the bowl portion of the scoopdirected away from the container opening.

As set out herein, the bowl portion of the scoop is arranged to bedirected downward into the container when the second scoop fasteningelement at the distal end of the scoop handle is connected to the firstscoop fastening element on the combined scraper bar and scoop holder.The scoop is held with the scoop handle inclined downwardly, such thatthe proximal portion of the scoop handle is located below the distalpart of the scoop handle. The connection between the combined scraperbar and scoop holder and the scoop may be arranged to allow theinclination of the scoop handle to increase as the packaging containeris successively emptied of its contents, such as when the fasteningelements are constituted by a hook and an opening.

In a packaging container as disclosed herein a vertical distance betweenthe combined scraper bar and scoop holder and an inner surface of thecontainer lid in a closed configuration of the packaging container maybe smaller than a vertical release distance of the second scoopfastening element. The vertical distance between the inner surface ofthe container lid and the combined scraper bar and scoop holder isselected to be sufficiently small to prohibit a scoop which is connectedto the combined scraper bar and scoop holder from moving out ofengagement with the combined scraper bar and scoop holder when theclosed packaging container is moved, shaken, or turned upside-down. Thevertical release distance of the second fastening element is the minimumdistance between the second fastening element and the inner surface ofthe container lid which is required in order to be able to move thesecond fastening element out of engagement with the first fasteningelement. The vertical release distance of the second fastening elementis >0 millimeters. It may be preferred that the vertical releasedistance of the second fastening element is ≦30 millimeters.

The vertical distance between the combined scraper bar and scoop holderand the inner lid surface may be a distance between a scoop restrainingmember arranged on the inner surface of the lid and the combined scraperbar and scoop holder. The scoop restraining member may be a protrusionarranged to diminish the distance between the inner surface of the lidand the combined scraper bar and scoop holder and may be made integrallywith the inner surface of the lid or as a separate component which isattached to the lid. The scoop restraining member may be in contact withthe distal end of the scoop handle when the packaging container isclosed or may be placed at a distance from the distal end of the scoophandle. A scoop restraining member which contacts the distal end of thescoop handle and optionally exerts a restraining pressure on the scoophandle may diminish a tendency of the scoop to rattle inside thepackaging container. The scoop restraining member may be a pressureresilient member which may serve to dampen scoop movements and tofurther reduce rattling.

The packaging containers as disclosed herein are preferably paperboardpackaging containers. As used herein, a paperboard packaging containeris a packaging container wherein the container body is formed frompaperboard web material. The web material may be provided in the form ofa continuous web or may be provided as individual sheets of material.The paperboard container may be formed in any manner known in the art,e.g. by forming a container body by bending a paperboard material into atubular shape and longitudinally closing the tube by joining overlappingor abutting side edges of the paperboard material. The join between theside edges may be covered by a sealing strip. The container bottom maybe formed from a separate bottom disc which is attached at one end ofthe container body tube or may be formed by folding an end portion ofthe container body tube.

As used herein, a paperboard material is a web material predominantlymade from cellulose fibers or paper fibers. The paperboard material maybe a single ply or multi-ply web and may be a laminate comprising one ormore layers of materials such as polymeric films and coatings, metalfoil, etc. The polymeric films and coatings may include or consist ofthermoplastic polymers. The paperboard material may be coated, printed,embossed, etc. and may comprise fillers, pigments, binders and otheradditives as known in the art. The paperboard materials as disclosedherein may also be referred to as cardboard or carton materials.

As used herein, the terms “bulk solids” and “scoopable bulk solids”refer to a pulverulent solid material, e.g. in the form of particles orpowder. The bulk material may be dry or moist. Bulk solids in thecontext of the present application may be digestible, such as infantformula, coffee, tea, rice, flour, sugar, cereals, soup powder, custardpowder, or the like. Alternatively, the bulk solids may benon-digestible, such as tobacco, detergent, fertilizer, chemicals or thelike.

By a pulverulent material as used herein is implied any material in theform of particles, granules, grinds, plant fragments, short fibres,flakes, etc.

The paperboard container may comprise an inner peelable or openablesealing membrane forming a cross-sectional seal between an innercompartment in the container body and the container opening. The innerpeelable or openable sealing membrane is a transport and storage sealwhich is eventually broken or removed by an end user of the packagingcontainer.

By an openable or peelable sealing membrane is meant a membrane that maybe fully or partly removed by a user in order to provide access to aninterior compartment of the packaging container either by breaking aseal between the sealing membrane and the inner surface of the containerwall, or by tearing or otherwise breaking the sealing membrane itself.Tearable sealing membranes may be provided with one or more predefinedweakenings, such as perforations or a cut partly through the membrane.

A peelable or tearable sealing membrane may be gastight orgas-permeable. A gastight membrane may be manufactured from any materialor material combination suitable for providing gastight sealing of acompartment delimited by the sealing membrane, such as aluminium foil,silicon-coated paper, plastic film, or laminates thereof. A gastightmembrane is particularly advantageous when the pulverulent materialstored in the packaging container is sensitive to air and/or moistureand to keep fragrances and aromas in the packaging container and preventthe packaged contents from taking up scents and flavours from theambient air. A gastight membrane provides additional protection of thepackaged goods before a first opening of the packaging container by apresumptive consumer.

It may be preferred that the inner peelable or openable sealing membraneis a gas-tight peelable or openable sealing membrane. It may also bepreferred that the packaging container is a gas-tight packagingcontainer.

The barrier properties of the packaging containers disclosed herein, maybe designed to meet different requirements of tightness depending on thegoods which is packaged in the packaging container. By way of example,in a packaging container for dried peas a lower barrier level may besufficient than in a packaging container for e.g. infant formula whichis highly sensitive to oxygen and moisture exposure. A combination of agas-tight gasketing seal between the upper edge of the upper reinforcingrim and the inner surface of the container lid, and a gas-tight weldseal between the upper reinforcing rim and the inner surface of thecontainer wall may offer a packaging container with excellent barrierproperties also after the sealing membrane has been removed.

The packaging containers as disclosed herein may have barrier propertieswhich remain largely unaltered even after removal of the inner sealingmembrane. In other words, the contents in a closed packaging containermay be equally well protected or nearly equally well protectedregardless of whether the inner sealing membrane has been removed ornot. This also means that also temporary seals such as a seal created bybetween the lid and an upper reinforcing rim and permanent seals such asa weld seal between the upper reinforcing rim and the inner wall of thepackaging container preferably have barrier properties offering the samelevel of protection of the packaged contents as the inner sealingmembrane and other container components which separate the contents inthe container from the environment outside the packaging container.

A packaging container having a volume of approximately 11 may beconsidered to be gas-tight if it provides an oxygen barrier ofapproximately 0.006 cc oxygen/24 h or less at 23° C. and 50% relativehumidity.

The combined scraper bar and scoop holder may be arranged directly onthe inside of the container wall or on an upper reinforcing rim which isattached to the container wall at the container body opening and may beformed integrally with the upper reinforcing rim.

The reinforcing rim and the combined scraper bar and scoop holder arepreferably made as a single integral component from thermoplasticmaterial which allows the reinforcing rim and the combined scraper barand scoop holder to be thermoformed, e.g. by injection molding. Aninjection molding process may be used to form plastic components havingdifferent polymer compositions in different parts of the plasticcomponent. By way of example, the surface of a plastic reinforcing rimwhich is welded to the container body may be formed from a polymercomposition having a lower softening and melting point than other partsof the reinforcing rim. Moreover, an abutment surface on the upperreinforcing rim may be formed from a resilient thermoplastic polymer.

The upper reinforcing rim may be attached to the container wall by anysuitable attachment method, including adhesive attachment, mechanicalattachment and welding. It may be preferred that the upper reinforcingrim is welded to the inner surface of the container wall. Any suitablewelding technique may be used, such as ultrasonic welding, hot airwelding or high frequency welding, with high frequency welding beingpreferred.

By joining the upper reinforcing rim to the inner surface of thecontainer wall by means of welding, it is possible to obtain a tighterand slimmer attachment than is possible with an adhesive attachment. Thewelded reinforcing rim is preferably a plastic rim and connects theinner surface of the container wall with the inner surface of thecontainer lid and contributes to create a barrier between the containerwall and the reinforcing rim.

The welding process provides a highly controlled way of creating anoptimal join between the plastic rim and the paperboard container wall.The join is made by supplying energy to heat and locally soften or meltone or more thermoplastic component in the plastic rim and/or on theinner surface of the container wall and by pressing the plastic rim andthe container wall together in a direction perpendicular to thecontainer wall. The thermoplastic material used to create the weld sealmay be provided by the plastic rim, by a thermoplastic film or coatingon the inner surface of the container wall, or by both the plastic rimand by a thermoplastic film or coating on the inner surface of thecontainer wall. It may be preferred that the plastic rim is made fromthermoplastic material. A thermoplastic rim may be produced by anysuitable melt-forming process known in the art, such as injectionmolding. By controlling weld temperature, pressure and weld time, it ispossible to adapt the welding process to the welded materials and toobtain a weld seam with a required level of tightness. Accordingly, thewelding process is accurate and predictable and is an efficient way ofproducing a reliable seal with a predetermined level of tightness. Apreferred welding method for the weld seal between the upper reinforcingrim and the paperboard packaging container body may be high frequencywelding.

The packaging containers as disclosed herein are containers forscoopable bulk materials, which are flowable pulverulent materialscapable of being poured or scooped out of the containers. The scoopablematerial may be pulverulent or granulated food-stuff. The containers aregenerally disposable containers, which are intended to be discarded whenthey have been emptied of their contents. A concern in packagingcontainers for pulverulent bulk solids is that the containers aresufficiently tight or at least “sift-proof” to prevent the pulverulentmaterial from escaping out of the container for example through a joinbetween an upper reinforcing rim and the container wall. It has now beenfound that by welding a reinforcement rim to the inner surface of thecontainer wall, a more reliably sift-proof join between the rim and thecarton wall can be achieved, than with an adhesive seal. Furthermore, anadhesive seal requires a further component to be added to the packagingcontainer as well as equipment for supplying and applying the adhesive.Consequently, a gluing process is generally more expensive andtime-consuming than a weld process.

As it may be desired to avoid applying adhesive inside the packagingcontainer, e.g. in order to avoid contact between the adhesive and thecontents packaged in the container, previously known reinforcement rimsare glued to the outside wall of the packaging container and commonlyhave a generally U-shaped cross-sectional profile with an outer leg orflange extending downwardly on the outside of the container wall and aninner leg or flange extending downwardly on the inside of the containerwalls. Such reinforcement rims are complicated and relatively expensivestructures and are difficult to fit over a paperboard container edgewithout damaging the edge. Furthermore, it has proven difficult tocreate a sift-proof adhesive seal between the reinforcing rim and thecontainer wall, much less a satisfactory fluid proof or moisture proofseal.

By arranging the seal between the container wall and the reinforcing rimon the inside of the container wall, the join between the reinforcementrim and the container wall forms a continuous barrier on the inside ofthe container. The plastic reinforcement rim is more rigid than thecontainer wall and constitutes a shape stable continuation of orsupplement to the paperboard container wall and may be arranged toprovide a first abutment surface which is resistant to deformation whenpressed against a. The seal which in this manner is created between thelid and the upper reinforcing rim permits the packaging container to berepeatedly opened and closed without risk of damaging the opening edgeand thereby impairing container tightness. An effective weld sealbetween the reinforcing rim and the inner surface of the container wallin conjunction with a non-deformable abutment surface on thereinforcement rim may provide a container as disclosed herein withimproved resealability and tightness after a first opening of thecontainer by a consumer and after any internal sealing membrane or othertransport seals have been broken.

The paperboard packaging container may further comprise a framestructure which is applied to the packaging container at the containerbody opening and which is mechanically connected to the upperreinforcing rim.

The upper reinforcing rim may form part of a lid component which furthercomprises a lid part. The upper reinforcing rim and the lid part areconnected by a hinge. In a corresponding manner the frame structure mayform part of a lid component, which further comprises a lid part andwherein the frame structure and the lid part are connected by a hinge.

A lid hinge may be a live hinge, i.e. a bendable connection between thelid and the container body or an upper plastic rim or frame structure. Alive hinge may be formed integral with the lid and/or with an edge rimor frame structure or with an upper edge portion of a container body ormay be a separately formed element which is attached to the containerlid and to the container body or an edge rim or frame structure.Alternatively, the hinge may be a two-part hinge, with a first hingepart arranged on the container lid and a second hinge part arranged onthe container body or on an edge rim or frame structure. The hinge maybe arranged at any suitable location at the container body opening suchas at a rear edge of the opening, at a side edge, etc.

The closure arrangement on the packaging container may comprise alocking arrangement which is configured to maintain the lid in a closedposition at the container opening.

The locking arrangement may comprise a first locking element arranged onthe container body or on an upper reinforcing rim or on a framestructure connected to an upper reinforcing rim and a second lockingelement arranged on the container lid. The first and second lockingelements may be mating locking elements, such as female/male lockingelements including hooks and other protrusions which are arranged tointerengage with ridges, hooks, tracks, holes, cavities, loops, etc. Byway of example, a locking arrangement may be provided by a locking flapor clasp closure extending from an edge on the lid, such as from aforward edge on the lid and comprising at least one locking elementwhich can be fastened into or onto a corresponding locking element onthe container body or on the upper reinforcement rim or a framestructure, if present. The locking elements are preferably designed toallow repeated opening and closing of the locking arrangement.Manipulation of the locking arrangement may be facilitated by means ofgripping devices such as finger grips, friction enhancing elements, pulltabs, etc.

Furthermore, the locking arrangement may comprise a first profiledelement on the lid which first profiled element is configured toreleasably engage with a second profiled element on an upper reinforcingrim and/or on a frame structure being connected to the upper reinforcingrim.

The closure between the container lid and the edge rim or opening edgeis preferably sift-proof and most preferably also gas tight or at leastsubstantially gas tight. A tight closure between the container lid andthe edge rim may be enhanced by mating contours on the lid and on therim and may include snap-fit features such as interengaging ridges andtracks or protrusions and holes/cavities, etc.

In a paperboard packaging container as disclosed herein and having anupper reinforcing rim an inner profile of the reinforcing rim includingthe combined scraper bar and scoop holder defines a shape and a size ofan access opening. The access opening is smaller than the container bodyopening and has an opening area which is from 85% to 99% of thecontainer body opening area, such as from 90% to 98% of the containerbody opening area or from 94% to 97% of the container body opening area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be further explained hereinafter by means ofnon-limiting examples and with reference to the appended drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a packaging container;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a variant of the packaging containerin FIG. 1 with an open lid;

FIG. 2a shows a scoop for use with the packaging container in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the packaging container in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a cross-section taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5a-5c show alternative scoop holders and scoops.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that the drawings are schematic and thatindividual components, such as layers of material are not necessarilydrawn to scale. The packaging container, reinforcing rim and lidcomponent shown in the figures are provided as examples only and shouldnot be considered limiting to the invention. The combined scraper barand scoop holder as disclosed herein, may be used with packagingcontainers having completely removable lids. The combined scraper barand scoop holder as disclosed herein is also useful in packagingcontainers having a hinge-lid arrangement different from the rim/framearrangement shown in the figures. Such hinge-lid arrangement may be anysuitable hinge-lid arrangement as known in the art including hinge-lidarrangements where the hinge is a two-part hinge and hinge-lidarrangement without a reinforcing rim and/or without a frame-structure.Accordingly, the scope of the invention is determined solely by theappended claims.

With reference to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a paperboard packagingcontainer 1 for pourable or scoopable bulk solids. The particular shapeof the container 1 shown in the figures should not be consideredlimiting to the invention. Accordingly, the paperboard packagingcontainer according to the invention may have any useful shape or size.

The packaging container 1 comprises a container body 2 formed by atubular container wall 3 including a front wall portion 3 a, a rear wallportion 3 b and two side wall portions 3 c, 3 d. The container wall 3extends from a container body bottom edge 4 to a container body openingedge 5 at a container body opening 6 in a height direction H of thepackaging container 1. The container wall 3 has an inner surface 7facing towards an inner compartment 11 in the packaging container 1 andan outer surface 8 facing away from the inner compartment 11 and beingexposed to the exterior of the packaging container 1. A bottom disc 9 ispositioned at the bottom edge 4 of the container body 2. The containerbody 2 is made from paperboard material as defined herein. The containerbody 2 may be formed by bringing together the side edges of a web ofpaperboard causing the material to assume a tubular shape, where afterthe side edges are sealed together. Sealing of the side edges may bemade by any suitable method as known in the art, such as by welding orgluing, with welding being preferred. Sealing of the side edges of thecontainer body web may involve using a sealing strip, as known in theart. The bottom disc 9 may be made from paperboard, metal, plastic, orfrom any suitable combination of such materials as known in the art.

The container body bottom edge 4 is reinforced by a plastic bottom rim10 which is applied to the inner surface 7 of the container wall 3,between the bottom disc 9 and the container body bottom edge 4 and whichhas an outwardly directed flange 12 which covers the container bodybottom edge 4 and forms a bottom edge 13 of the packaging container 1.The bottom rim 10 reinforces the container body paperboard bottom edge4, stabilizes the shape of the container body 2 and protects thecontainer body bottom edge 4 from mechanical deformation. The plasticbottom rim 10 also serves as a protective barrier against water andother fluids which may be present on a surface on which the packagingcontainer is placed. The bottom rim 10 delimits a downwardly open spacebetween the bottom disc 9 and the bottom edge 13 of the packagingcontainer 1 which may be used to accommodate stacking elements arrangedat an upper end of another packaging container when stacking two or morepackaging containers on top of each other.

As an alternative to a plastic bottom rim, the bottom edge of thepackaging container may be formed by a rolled edge of the paperboardcontainer body, or may be provided by a simple, non-rolled join betweenthe bottom disc 9 and the container body 2.

The container bottom may alternatively be formed without a bottom discby folding of the container wall material, as known in the art.

The paperboard packaging container 1 is provided with a closurearrangement comprising a lid 14 and an upper reinforcing rim 15extending along the container body opening edge 5 and defining aperimeter of a container access opening 35 which is smaller than thecontainer body opening 6 which is defined by the upper edge 5 of thetubular container body 2.

The upper reinforcing rim 15 is preferably a plastic rim, mostpreferably a thermoplastic rim and is attached to the inner surface 7 ofthe container body wall 3 at the container body opening 6. The upperreinforcing rim 15 has an extension in the height direction, H, of thecontainer 1 and has a lower rim part 16 with a lower rim edge 17 facingtowards the container bottom 9 and an upper rim part 18 with an upperrim edge 19 facing away from the container bottom 9. The upperreinforcing rim 15 extends around the full periphery of the containerbody opening 6. The upper rim part 18 protrudes upwards in the heightdirection, H, above the container body opening edge 5, whereby the upperedge 19 of the upper reinforcing rim 15 is arranged above the containerbody opening edge 5 in the height direction, H, of the packagingcontainer 1.

The upper reinforcing rim 15 is joined to the inner surface 7 of thecontainer wall 3 by means of a weld seal 20 extending around thecontainer opening 6. The weld seal 20 preferably extends continuouslyaround the container body opening 5 and is a sift-proof weld seal and ispreferably also a moisture proof weld seal and most preferably agas-tight weld seal.

The weld seal 20 is formed by supplying energy to heat and locallysoften or melt one or more thermoplastic component in a thermoplasticrim 15 and/or in a coating or film on the inner surface 7 of thecontainer body wall 3 and by pressing the reinforcing rim 15 and thecontainer wall 3 together in a direction perpendicular to the containerwall 3. The temperature and pressure can be controlled and adjusted toform a strong and tight seal without damaging the welded components. Thethermoplastic material used to create the weld seal 20 may be providedby a fully or partly thermoplastic reinforcing rim 15, by athermoplastic film or coating on the inner surface 7 of the containerwall 3, or by both a fully or partly thermoplastic reinforcing rim andby a thermoplastic film or coating on the inner surface 7 of thecontainer wall 3. A plastic reinforcing rim 15 is preferably made fromthermoplastic material which allows it to be thermoformed, e.g. byinjection molding. An injection molding process may be used to formplastic components having different polymer compositions in differentparts of the plastic component. By way of example, the surface of aplastic reinforcing rim which is welded to the container body may beformed from a polymer composition having a lower softening and meltingpoint than other parts of the reinforcing rim. Moreover, an abutmentsurface on the upper reinforcing rim 15 may be formed from a resilientthermoplastic polymer. Any suitable welding technique may be used, suchas ultrasonic welding or high frequency welding, with high frequencywelding being preferred.

The lid 14 is formed from an outer lid part 14 a and an inner lid part14 b. The outer lid part 14 a is a profiled part with athree-dimensional shape providing an upper outer surface 25 of the lid14. As is shown in FIG. 3, the outer lid part 14 a has an inner surface26 comprising a pattern of reinforcing ribs 27. The inner lid part 14 bis a planar disk. The inner lid part 14 b has an inner lid surface 24which faces towards the bottom disc 9 when the lid 14 is closed on thecontainer access opening 35.

The outer lid part 14 a is connected by a hinge 29 to a frame structure30, the lid 14 and the frame structure 30 together forming a lidcomponent 31. The hinge 29 is a live hinge, formed integrally with theupper lid part 14 a and the frame structure 30 as a flexible connectionbetween the upper lid part 14 a and the frame structure 30. As set outherein, the illustrated hinge is only intended as a non-limiting exampleand it should be understood that any other type of functional hinge maybe used for the connection between the frame structure and the lid.Moreover, the lid may be of the removable kind, without any permanentconnection to the frame structure.

The frame structure 30 is applied to the packaging container at thecontainer body opening edge 5 and is mechanically attached to the upperreinforcing rim 15 by a snap-on connection. The frame structure 30 isattached to the upper reinforcing rim 15 after the reinforcing rim 15has been welded to the inner surface 7 of the paperboard container wall3. The frame structure 30 is applied to the upper reinforcing rim 15 bypressing the frame structure 30 down over the upper edge 19 of the upperreinforcing rim 15 until the frame structure 30 locks in place on theupper reinforcing rim 15 by means of mating snap-in features on theupper reinforcing rim 15 and the frame structure 30. When the framestructure 30 has been attached to the upper reinforcing rim 15, it canonly be removed again by breaking or damaging the snap-in connectionbetween the rim 15 and the frame structure 30.

The interior compartment 11 is sealed with a fully or partly removablesealing membrane 33 which is applied over the packaged goods 34 andwhich is sealed to the container body wall 3. The removable sealingmembrane 33 may be attached to the container wall either from the topend of the container body 2 or from the bottom end of the container body2. In order to gain a first access to the packaged goods, a user needsto open the lid 14 and expose the packaged goods 34 by fully or partlyremoving the sealing membrane 33. The sealing membrane 33 may bearranged to be peeled away from the wall 3 of the container body 2 ormay be arranged with means for breaking the membrane 33 so that it canbe at least partly removed from the opening 6, 35. Such means may be inthe form of one or more predefined weakenings, such as perforations or acut partly through the membrane. When the membrane is of the tear-opentype, a narrow edge part of the sealing membrane may be left at theinner surface 7 of the container wall 3. Any such remaining part of thesealing membrane should preferably not be so large so that it extendsinto the access opening which is defined by the inner perimeter of theupper reinforcing rim. Accordingly, it may be preferred that a remainingmembrane part has an extension perpendicular to the height direction Hof the packaging container of at most 7 millimeters such as from 1-6millimeters, from 2-5 millimeters or from 3-4 millimeters. It may bepreferred that the inward extension of a remaining membrane part is 4millimeters or less. The sealing membrane 33 is an optional feature ofthe disclosed packaging container 1 and may be omitted.

Once the sealing membrane 33 has been removed, it is sufficient to openthe lid 14 in order to gain access to the packaged goods 34 in theinterior compartment 11 through the access opening 35. As is seen inFIG. 2, which reveals the inside of the upper reinforcing rim 15, thearea of the access opening 35 is defined by an inner perimeter 28 orinner contour of the upper reinforcing rim 15. As the upper reinforcingrim 15 is applied on the inner surface 7 of the container body wall 3and adds thickness to the body wall in an inward direction, the area ofthe access opening 35 is always smaller than the area of the containerbody opening 6. The upper reinforcing rim 15 which is shown in FIG. 2carries a combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 which extends acrossthe front left corner portion of the reinforcing rim 15 as seen in thefigures. The combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 is provided with ascraping edge 41 for scraping off excess scooped-up contents from ascoop or spoon 44 and an opening 42 constituting a first scoop fasteningelement for receiving and holding a second scoop fastening element inthe form of a hook element 43 on the spoon 44.

Although not preferred, more than one combined scraper bar and scoopholder 40 may be provided in the packaging container 1.

The combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 may be integrally formedwith the upper reinforcing rim 15 or may be provided as a separate partwhich can be attached at any one of at least two selectable locations atthe access opening 35 of the packaging container 1 as disclosed herein.A separately formed combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 ispreferably provided with snap-in means cooperating with correspondingsnap-in means on the upper reinforcing rim 15 allowing a user to selectthe most appropriate corner portion in which to attach the combinedscraper bar and scoop holder 40. The attachment is preferably anon-permanent attachment so that a user can change the placement of acombined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 according to his/herpreference. By way of example, a combined scraper bar and scoop holderwhich has been pre-attached by a manufacturer may be detached and movedto a more suitable location or different users such as right-handedusers and left-handed users may wish to use the combined scraper bar andscoop holder in different locations.

When the packaging container 1 has a hinged lid 14 as shown in thefigures, it may be preferred that the combined scraper bar and scoopholder 40 can be attached at least across the container wall cornerportions at the front of the packaging container 1, i.e. the cornerportions formed between the front wall portion 3 a and the side wallportions 3 c, 3 d.

As is shown in FIG. 2, the scoop 44 comprises a scoop handle 50 and abowl portion 51. The scoop handle 50 has a proximal end 52 at the bowlportion 51 and a distal end 53 remote from the bowl portion 51. The hookelement 43 is arranged at the distal end 53 of the scoop handle 50 andis arranged to be inserted into the opening 42 in the combined scraperbar and scoop holder 40, as shown in FIG. 2.

A combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 placed at the front of thepackaging container may be preferred in a packaging container having ahinged lid 14 as such placement is convenient both when removing andfastening the scoop 44 and when using the scraping function. Thearrangement of the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 and thescoop 44 shown in FIG. 2 may be preferred by a right-handed user. Otherarrangements are contemplated in the packaging containers as disclosedherein. The combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 may e.g. be placedat the right front corner portion between the front wall portion 3 a andthe right side wall portion 3 c or at one of the rear corner portionsbetween the rear wall portion 3 b and one of the side wall portions 3 c,3 d. The scoop 44 may be arranged to be placed in the combined scraperbar and scoop holder 40 with the bowl portion 51 of the scoop 44directed downward, towards the contents in the packaging container orwith the bowl portion 51 of the scoop 44 directed upward, away from thecontents in the packaging container as would be the case with the scoop44 shown in FIG. 2 a.

The first and second scoop fastening elements are not limited to thehook-and-opening arrangement shown in FIG. 2. Further non-limitingexamples of useful mating fastener arrangements are shown in FIGS. 5a,5b and 5 c.

In the scoop fastening arrangement shown in FIG. 5a , the combinedscraper bar and scoop holder 40 a is provided with a female fasteningelement in the form of a circular opening 42 a constituting the firstscoop fastening element and the scoop 44 a is provided with aresiliently deformable knob 43 a at the underside of the distal end 53of the handle 50. The deformable knob 43 a can be removably fastened inthe circular opening 42 a and constitutes the second scoop fasteningelement.

In the scoop fastening arrangement shown in FIG. 5b , the combinedscraper bar and scoop holder 40 b is provided with a female fasteningelement in the form of a clamp 42 b constituting the first scoopfastening element and the scoop 44 b is provided with a narrowed handleportion and an end knob 43 a at the distal end 53 of the handle 50. Thenarrowed handle portion with the end knob 43 b can be removably fastenedin the clamp 42 b and constitutes the second scoop fastening element.

In the scoop fastening arrangement shown in FIG. 5c , the combinedscraper bar and scoop holder 40 c is provided with a male fasteningelement in the form of a deformable knob 42 c constituting the firstscoop fastening element and the scoop 44 c is provided with acorresponding circular opening 43 c at the distal end 53 of the handle50. The deformable knob 42 c can be removably fastened in the circularopening 43 c which constitutes the second scoop fastening element.

When the packaging container 1 is open, a desired quantity of thepackaged goods 34 may be removed from the packaging container 1 throughthe access opening 35 by means of the scoop 44. The scoop is providedtogether with the packaging container 1. The scoop 44 may initially beplaced on the sealing membrane 33, if present, may be removably attachedto the inner lid surface 24 or may be attached to the combined scraperbar and scoop holder 40.

The second scoop fastening element 43, 43 a, 43 b, 43 c on the scoop 44,44 a, 44 b, 44 c is arranged to cooperate with the first scoop fasteningelement 42, 42 a, 42 b, 42 c on the combined scraper bar and scoopholder 40, 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, whereby the scoop 44, 44 a, 44 b, 44 c maybe attached to the reinforcing rim 15 such that the handle 50 on thescoop 44, 44 a, 44 b, 44 c is prevented from falling down into thecontents in the packaging container compartment 11 between dispensingoccasions. Users find it more appealing and hygienic to be able toremove the scoop from the container without having to dig it out fromthe remaining contents in the packaging container.

The scoop 44 is held with the scoop handle inclined downwardly, suchthat the proximal end 52 of the scoop handle 50 is located below thedistal end 53 of the scoop handle. The connection between the combinedscraper bar and scoop holder 40 and the scoop 44, may be arranged toallow the inclination of the scoop handle to increase as the packagingcontainer is successively emptied of its contents, such as when thefastening elements are constituted by a hook and an opening e.g. asshown in FIG. 2.

Even if provided with the combined scraper bar and scoop holder 40 asdisclosed herein, the packaging container has a large access openingwith an opening edge without any portion of the edge being curved orinwardly in the plane of the access opening or having any edge portionforming an inwardly directed protrusion from the container body edge. Aregularly shaped access opening edge without any protruding featuresthat may obstruct the access opening greatly facilitates removal of thecontents from the packaging container by scooping and also by pouring.

The access opening 35 may have an opening area which is from 85% to 99%of the opening area of the container body opening 6, such as from 90% to98% of the container body opening area or from 94% to 97% of thecontainer body opening area.

A tight closure between the lid 14 and the container body 2 is providedby a first abutment surface 51 on the upper rim edge 19 and acorresponding second abutment surface 52 arranged on the inner lidsurface 24. The first abutment surface 51 on the upper reinforcing rim15 is arranged to abut against the second abutment surface 52 on the lid14 when the lid is in the closed position on the container accessopening 35 and to form a seal between the upper reinforcing rim 15 andthe lid 14.

The vertical distance between the combined scraper bar and scoop holder40 and the inner lid surface 24 may be smaller than the vertical releasedistance of the second scoop fastening element 43 in a closedconfiguration of the packaging container 1. The vertical distancebetween the inner surface 24 of the container lid 14 and the combinedscraper bar and scoop holder 40 is selected to be sufficiently small toprohibit a scoop 44 which is connected to the combined scraper bar andscoop holder from moving out of engagement with the combined scraper barand scoop holder when the closed packaging container 1 is moved, shaken,or turned upside-down. The vertical release distance of the secondfastening element 43 is the minimum distance between the secondfastening element 43 and the inner surface 24 of the container lid 14which is required in order to be able to move the second fasteningelement out of engagement with the first fastening element. The verticalrelease distance of the second fastening element is >0 millimeters. Itmay be preferred that the vertical release distance of the secondfastening element is ≦30 millimeters.

As is illustrated in FIG. 2, the vertical distance between the combinedscraper bar and scoop holder 40 and the inner lid surface 24 may be avertical distance between a scoop restraining member 60 arranged on theinner surface 24 of the lid 14 and the combined scraper bar and scoopholder 40. The scoop restraining member may be a protrusion arranged todiminish the vertical distance between the inner surface of the lid andthe combined scraper bar and scoop holder and may be made integrallywith the inner surface of the lid or as a separate component which isattached to the lid. The scoop restraining member may be in contact withthe distal end of the scoop handle when the packaging container isclosed or may be placed at a distance from the distal end of the scoophandle.

In order to keep the lid 14 secured in the closed position betweendispensing occasions, the closure arrangement of the packaging container1 may further comprise a locking arrangement 45. The locking arrangement45 may comprise mating locking elements 45 a, 45 b. A male lockingelement 45 a is arranged on the lid 14 and a female locking element 45 bis arranged on the frame structure 30. The male locking element 45 a isconstituted by one or more protrusions, such as one or more knobs orribs arranged on a locking flap 46 and the female locking element 45 bis constituted by one or more corresponding cavities or grooves arrangedon the frame structure 30. The locking arrangement 45 is preferablydesigned such that it exerts a force on the connection between the lid14 and the upper rim edge 19 by pressing the first and second abutmentsurfaces 51, 52 together.

It is to be understood that the particular closure construction with arim and a frame structure as disclosed herein is not essential to thepackaging container of the claimed invention. Accordingly, the combinedscraper bar and scoop holder as disclosed herein may be applied to anypackaging container for bulk solids having an access opening and beingprovided with a scoop for removing bulk solids out of the packagingcontainer through the access opening.

1. A packaging container for scoopable bulk solids, said packagingcontainer comprising a container body (2) comprising a container wall(3) extending from a container bottom edge (4) to a container bodyopening (6) in a height direction (H) of said container (1), and aclosure arrangement comprising a lid (14), said container wall (3)having an inner surface (7) facing towards an inner compartment (11) insaid packaging container (1) and an outer surface (8) facing away fromsaid inner compartment (11), said container body (2) having an openingedge (5) at said container body opening (6), said container wallcomprising a bent wall portion, said packaging container furthercomprising a scoop (44, 44 a, 44 b, 44 c) comprising a scoop handle (50)and a bowl portion (51), said scoop handle (50) having a proximal end(52) at said bowl portion (51) and a distal end (53) remote from saidbowl portion (51), characterized in that a combined scraper bar andscoop holder (40, 40 a, 40 b, 40 c) is arranged at said container bodyopening (6) and extends across said bent wall portion, said combinedscraper bar and scoop holder (40, 40 a, 40 b, 40 c) comprising ascraping edge (41) and a first scoop fastening element (42, 42 a, 42 b,42 c) for repeated fastening and releasing of a scoop (44, 44 a, 44 b,44 c), and a second scoop fastening element (43, 43 a, 43 b, 43 c) beingarranged at said distal end (53) of said scoop handle (50), said secondscoop fastening element (43, 43 a, 43 b, 43 c) being arranged to connectwith said first scoop fastening element (42, 42 a, 42 b, 42 c) on saidcombined scraper bar and scoop holder (40, 40 a, 40 b, 40 c) and whereinsaid bowl portion (51) of said scoop (44, 44 a, 44 b, 44 c) is directeddownward into the container when said second scoop fastening element(43, 43 a, 43 b, 43 c) at said distal end (53) of said scoop handle isconnected to said first scoop fastening element (42, 42 a, 42 b, 42 c)on said combined scraper bar and scoop holder (40, 40 a, 40 b, 40 c). 2.A packaging container according to claim 1, wherein said bent wallportion is a container wall corner portion, said container wall cornerportion connecting a first container wall portion (3 a, 3 b) with asecond container wall portion (3 c, 3 d).
 3. A packaging containeraccording to claim 1 or 2, wherein said first scoop fastening element(42, 42 a, 42 b) is a female fastening element, such as an opening or adepression and wherein said second scoop fastening element (43, 43 a, 43b) is a male fastening element, such as a hook or a protrusion.
 4. Apackaging container according to claim 3, wherein said first scoopfastening element (42, 42 a) is an opening and wherein said second scoopfastening element (43) is a hook.
 5. A packaging container according toclaim 1 or 2, wherein said first scoop fastening element (42 b, 42 c) isa male fastening element, such as a hook or a protrusion and whereinsaid second scoop fastening element (43 c) is a female fastening elementsuch as an opening or a depression.
 6. A packaging container accordingto any one of the preceding claims, wherein said container wall (3)comprises a front wall portion (3 a), a rear wall portion (3 b) and twoside wall portions (3 c, 3 d) and wherein said lid (14) is hingedlyconnected to said rear wall portion (3 b) at said opening edge (5) andwherein said bent wall portion across which said combined scraper barand scoop holder (40, 40 a, 40 b, 40) extends, is a corner wall portionconnecting said front wall portion (3 a) with one of said side wallportions (3 c, 3 d).
 7. A packaging container according to any one ofthe preceding claims, wherein said combined scraper bar and scoop holder(40, 40 a, 40 b, 40) is provided as a separate part and wherein saidpackaging container comprises means for attaching said combined scraperbar and scoop holder (40, 40 a, 40 b, 40) at any one of at least twoselectable locations at said access opening (35) of said packagingcontainer (1).
 8. A packaging container according to any one of thepreceding claims, wherein said scraping edge (41) is a straight edgebridging said bent wall portion.
 9. A packaging container according toany one of the preceding claims, wherein a vertical distance betweensaid combined scraper bar and scoop holder (40, 40 a, 40 b, 40 c) and aninner surface (24) of said lid (14) in a closed configuration of saidpackaging container is smaller than a vertical release distance of saidsecond scoop fastening element (43, 43 a, 43 b, 43 c).
 10. A packagingcontainer according to claim 9, wherein said vertical distance betweensaid combined scraper bar and scoop holder (40, 40 a, 40 b, 40 c) andsaid inner lid surface (24) is a vertical distance between a scooprestraining member (60) arranged on said inner lid surface (24) and saidcombined scraper bar and scoop holder (40, 40 a, 40 b, 40 c).
 11. Apackaging container according to any one of the preceding claims,wherein said combined scraper bar and scoop holder (40, 40 a, 40 b, 40c) is arranged on an upper reinforcing rim (15) which is attached tosaid container wall (3) at said container body opening (6).
 12. Apackaging container according to claim 11, wherein said combined scraperbar and scoop holder (40, 40 a, 40 b, 40 c) is formed integrally withsaid upper reinforcing rim (15).
 13. A packaging container according toclaim 11 or 12, wherein said upper reinforcing rim is welded to saidinner surface (7) of said container wall (3), such as by high frequencywelding.
 14. A packaging container (1) according to any one of claims11-13, wherein said upper reinforcing rim forms part of a lid component,said lid component further comprising a lid part (14 a), said upperreinforcing rim (15) and said lid part (14 a) being connected by ahinge.
 15. A packaging container (1) according to according to any oneof claims 11-14, wherein said packaging container (1) further comprisesa frame structure (30), said frame structure (30) being applied to saidpackaging container (1) at said container body opening (6) and beingmechanically connected to said upper reinforcing rim (15).
 16. Apackaging container (1) according to claim 15, wherein said framestructure (30) forms part of a lid component (31), said lid component(31) further comprising a lid part (14 a), said frame structure (30) andsaid lid part (14 a) being connected by a hinge (29).
 17. A packagingcontainer (1) according to any one of claims 10-16, wherein an innerprofile of said reinforcing rim (15) including said combined scraper barand scoop holder (40, 40 a, 40 b, 40 c) defines a shape and a size of anaccess opening (35), said access opening (35) being smaller than saidcontainer body opening (6) and having an opening area which is from 85%to 99% of said container body opening area (6), such as from 90% to 98%of said container body opening area or from 94% to 97% of said containerbody opening area.
 18. A packaging container (1) according to any one ofthe preceding claims, wherein said packaging container (1) comprises aninner peelable or openable sealing membrane (33) forming across-sectional seal between an inner compartment (11) in said containerbody (2) and said container opening (6).